I just flat don't agree with this. "Regular" students have the ability to transfer, but they don't, at least not at anywhere close to the rate that athletes do. Why? Because there actually is a penalty in most cases for transferring, in that most colleges have a residency requirement to get a degree, and when accepting transfer credits, limitations do apply (grades aren't usually accepted when transferring, many degree-centric courses must be done in residency, different institutions have different prerequisites and requirements, etc.). Getting a degree is a four-year enterprise at minimum in most cases, and taking extra time to get the degree costs significant money.
Elite college basketball players, for the most part, aren't in it for the degree and aren't paying to attend, so it is no longer a four-year enterprise. Instead, it is variable-length and the usual student transfer limitations do not apply. Instead, the college game is treated like a professional league in most ways, except actually paying the players. There is NO professional sports league that I'm aware of which permits unlimited free agency, and all players operate on binding contracts. Pro leagues understand that continuity is important, both on the field and for the fans. Most of the time, the development leagues are among the most restrictive in terms of player movement, and free agency is earned over time. College ball, if its primary function is to be an NBA development league, should be no different. There needs to be a limitation on player movement for the good of the game.
Basketball seems to be the only college sport that doesn't acknowledge this. It's actively bad for player development. Heck, much of the value that K once brought to the table was how good he was at developing athletes and making them better. Now, when a player doesn't like what they're hearing, they can just ignore it. They can be somewhere else next year, anyway.
IMO, this is much more basic to the sport than, "I can't remember last year's roster."
I have a friend who many years ago played baseball at a small Div 1 school. He told me that the only reason he went to college was to play ball. If he could not play ball he would have left school. He graduated and had a very successful business career at a large company, a career that probably would not have gotten started without the degree.
I think many, probably most, Div I athletes have their sport at the top of their priority. Colleges support this by admitting players based more on their athletics than their academics.
SoCal
Pro sports teams secure that continuity by entering into contracts with players whereby the players are paid a market rate for their services, and both parties are bound by the contract for its duration. And even then superstar players are often able to leverage trades if they want out of town.
Players would be a LOT more willing to switch to something like that system than the schools or the NCAA would be.
Good to find a balance.
I get that this year/last year was an anomaly because of the pandemic, so everyone took advantage of the "unlimited" transfers.
But I think its fair to everyone moving forwards, that you get one transfer without sitting out.
How many times do college coaches leave their jobs/get fired and the players they recruited are left in the lurch?
This will hopefully balance things out.
I don't think you can call college sports a development league and then analogize to NBA contracts. Idk if i agree that it is a development league, but it is not analogous to players who receive lots of money to stay with a team compared to students who are paid close to nothing in comparison. I think an important point is that these students have unequal bargaining because not only were they not paid, but they couldn't leave.
I guess this is as good as any thread to post this. The NCAA is adjusting the transfer rules. It won't affect first timers, but those making a move a 2nd time will now be affected. (DWBB has a multi-transfer player, I don't know about other sports.)
https://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...-portal-usage/The NCAA Division I Council approved legislation on Wednesday to limit waivers for second-time transfers. Now, undergraduate players who transfer will have specific guidelines they must meet in order to be eligible for immediate playing time starting with the 2023-24 season or risk sitting out a year in between transfers.
I like this move. It helps ensure that players will have to think twice before jumping ship to another school for a second time. As I stated, we have one player on DWBB (Balogun) that's used this to our benefit, and we lost one big name in football (Chase Brice) to the same. (Not sure "lost" is the apt term there.)
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill
President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club
I like the rule as well. It provides a compromise between allowing player freedom while also putting some limits. And coaches are granted at least a small measure of stability knowing that when they accept an incoming transfer they don't immediately have to worry (as much) about the player transfering away the next year.
It looks like grad transfers like Grandison will be exempt from potentially sitting out under the new transfer rules. If that is the case, I suspect the new rules mostly affect players who wish to transfer twice in their first three years in college which is still somewhat rare.
Also in the fact that we have seen several guys (Rasheed Suliamon, Cam Johnson) graduate after 3 seasons in order to be immediately eligible as grad transfers. So, it appears that this rule may be aimed mostly at players who may wish to transfer after their Freshman and Sophomore seasons.
Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill
President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club